Norovirus infections in children less than five years of age hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis in Italy

BACKGROUND: Norovirus (NoV) infection is a major cause of non-bacterial pediatric gastroenteritis throughout the world. The availability of molecular methods (including molecular typing) has led to the frequent detection of NoVs in recent years. The aim of this paper was to review pediatric NoV infection in Turin, Piedmont, Italy. METHODS: A total of 137 fecal specimens previously screened for rotavirus and adenovirus were tested for NoV virus. RESULTS: NoV was detected in a total of 62/137 patients (45.26%): of these, 49 (79.03%) presented the genotype II virus, 6 (9.68%) the genotype I and in 7 patients (11.29%) the presence of viruses both of the GI and of the GII was found. In our study, the NoV was detected as the sole etiological agent responsible for gastroenteritis in 28.36% of patients who performed viral research also for rotavirus and adenovirus. CONCLUSIONS: The evident importance of the NoV on an epidemiological level in our territory therefore suggests the idea that, if the data were confirmed over the long term, the search for this pathogen could have a role in the hospital routine, compatible with a cost-benefit analysis to be carried out regarding the use of RT-PCR, the most sensitive and specific method currently available for the diagnosis of norovirosis.